Sayonara Sale

Wow, what a surprise. When we moved here in 2004, we had way too many things from the US, so we started paring down our belongings. We asked around to see if there was such a thing as Goodwill to whom we could donate them, but a colleague said that it was rather rare to find such an institution in Japan as Japanese tended to take care of themselves and not rely on anyone else's charity. We then called up our friends to see who wanted what, and after they had their picks, we simply left a whole lot of other things by the alternate door to our complex. We left for dinner and was surprised that an hour later back home, we found many things had disappeared; people had taken most away. We simply put the remaining in the dumpster.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when we decided not to bring our entire belongings and opted to do the traditionaSayonara Sale, a sort of garage sale staged by departing expatriates. I took pictures, posted them in an online site, advertised for the sale at the free weekly English magazine Metropolis, and within a day, calls started calling. It was a feeding frenzy, with people wanting to secure certain items, mainly the big ones, such as furniture. Each advertising renewal puts another fresh jolt to the bidding. It was fun to see the process. Had we known how wildly popular this was, we would have done this years ago when we wanted to get rid of some things.


Click HERE to go to the Sayonara Sale site.

The Last Shabu-Shabu

Hanezawa Outdoor Dining, originally uploaded by bloompy.

After a 3-day winter-like weather that brought rain and cold wind across the city, Tokyo re-emerged into the sunlight on Thursday, although unaccompanied by the glory of the cherry blossoms. Today the Hanezawa Garden, a favorite restaurant near where I live, offers its last shabu-shabu lunch and dinner for the season. Beginning next week, the Korean BBQ will again be featured as the main and only attraction in the outdoor dining at this elegant restaurant complex.

I was given a seat that was partially shaded by the tree; yet giving me full access to the bath of light available in front of me. The cherry blossoms in this garden still retained some of their flowers, but the look was pretty much emaciated. Throughout lunch, the petals were blown by the wind and fell down to the earth as if scattered by the hands of the gods and goddesses. The effect was magical. The shower of petals looked like a summer snow.

As lunch progressed, the comfort of the shade left me exposed to the mighty sun. Unlike the winter sun whose effect one could hardly feel, this one made its presence known. While enjoying my book -Marco Livingstone's David Hockney- I felt the heat becoming slightly unbearable. The presence of a standing waiter nearby provided a much-needed temporary shelter, but alas, his shadow went with him as he was called by a customer at a far-away table. I was once again exposed.

I am not complaining. After a three-day insistence by the grey winter weather to stay in the city, I welcome the change of weather. Spring, hopefully, is here to stay.

(For a review of the Hanezawa Garden, please consult http://bloompyeats.blogspot.com)

The Hanezawa Garden

The Entrance to the Hanezawa Garden, originally uploaded by bloompy.

Our first impression when we saw the Hanezawa Garden from the outside was that it was a public park. The fortress-like compound, however, was too contained to invite outsiders to come in. Upon a quick entry to the complex, we realized that this was a private enterprise with nine enjoyments within: the Salon; the Sushi Bar; the Main Dining (serving French Italian Japanese cuisine); the Bar; the Cigar Room; the Garden Room; the Oriental Room; the Hanezawa Second; and the Terrace Restaurant (serving BBQ in the summer, from April until October, and shabu-shabu in the winter; all outdoors). The Garden Room, the Oriental Room and the Hanezawa Second are used more for private gatherings, available for rent at a cost.

In the Spring, when the weather was excellent, a lot of weddings took place here. Almost every weekend we could hear music coming out from the compound. Other than that, any other noise is provided by the weekend revelers who probably occupy the BBQ place, which is located outdoors.

Lunch at the French (French and Italian Japanese) restaurant is an excellent experience. Usually, during the weekdays, the place is teeming with ladies who lunch. I usually end up being the only man with a book in the dining room. Once when I came in, the room fell silent, the other ones probably wondering why I had strayed in there; but at another time, I saw a table of four senior men, enjoying themselves.

This Dining Room overseas a garden, which provided a nice vista during one's meal. During the day and in the summer, the beautifully manicured lawn are surrounded by lush vegetation. At night, the dining room is transformed into a cozy restaurant, with extremely dimmed ceiling light and lots of candles. The music they play tend to be contemporary pop and soft rock. Even sitting at the bar room next door, overlooking yet another side of the garden, was quite an experience in itself, especially during the twilights. The food never disappointed (more review at the following site: http://bloompyeats.blogspot.com).

For such a posh looking place, it was rather a nice surprise to find that the pricing was extremely inexpensive for Tokyo standards.

[UPDATED NEWS: December 20, 2005]
Sadly, the Hanezawa Garden has recently closed (December 17, 2005) due to aging facility. The architecture has been in existence since 1915. I have decided to keep the restaurant reviews in the Restaurant Review Section for sentimental reasons.